TORO - Yellow-Billed Kingfisher
“It is breeding season in the rainforest, and TORO listens attentively to the loud, repeated trills coming from males close by. But her attention is suddenly swayed by a movement among the moist mud along the riverbank, over which she is perched: a small sight of scales, giving away its position. In a swift flurry, TORO’s bright yellow head streaks through the air, down, to execute her Sally-pounce Power and take the wriggling prey back up to the branch. After a feed, perhaps she can listen once again for a suitable mate.”
ANiMOZ #108
Code: TORO
Common name: Yellow-billed kingfisher
Taxonomy: Syma torotoro
Level: CARN | Form: FLEE | Status: INFREQUENT
BiOME: RIVER + Sky
Overcomes: Flood
Superpowers:
SALLY-POUNCE
Using her fantastic skills in depth perception, patience and speed, TORO enacts her Sally-pounce power to surprise prey on the ground from her hidden vantage point up in the branches. Sitting quietly, scanning the bank of the river, she will wait for the tell-tale movement before releasing her hold on the branch and arrowing down to grasp her prey between her talons, barely breaking flight.
WATER SKIM
Beneath the surface of the river lurks many dangers, so when it is time for TORO to drink he must use his Water Skim Superpower. Flattening his body in midair, and keeping his wings extended, he slows just enough as he passes close to the water to allow his open beak to capture liquid to hydrate with. Then, leaving danger behind, he can glide back to his vantage point amongst the trees.
Weaknesses:
CONSTRICTION
TORO automatically loses a Clash to any species with the CONSTRICTION Superpower
APEX-WING
TORO automatically loses a Clash to any Wing species of the Apex level
Species Report: ACU the Short-beaked echidna
The Short-beaked echidna (Tachyglossus aculeatus) is ACU – a Carn species found across Australia. ACU are typically between 30 and 45 centimetres long, including their beak They have tongues up to 15 centimetres long to allow them to scoop up their prey. The largest Short-beaked echidnas are about seven kilograms, but they typically weigh two …
Know your ANiMOZ species: RiNU (Dasyurus viverrinus)
Know Your Species series: RiNU (Dasyurus viverrinus) One of the most important animals for a Ranger to understand when playing the Offical ANiMOZ Ultimate Ranger Gameplay is the Apex Predator. That becomes particularly important when one such species is also Highly Rare… Enter RiNU, the Eastern quoll! Deep in the dark of the forest …
Know your ANiMOZ species: RiNU (Dasyurus viverrinus) Read More »
Ranger Community: “There are lots of different ones I haven’t seen before!”
In our Ranger Community series, we hear from ANiMOZ Rangers out in the field about how they use the game to learn about, teach about and support wildlife. Ranger Pariya spoke to Headquarters about how she and her Junior Rangers use ANiMOZ! Ranger Pariya is mum to two Junior Rangers – Chara (7yo) and …
Ranger Community: “There are lots of different ones I haven’t seen before!” Read More »
From the Field: Ranger Cass talks about LAGOTi!
From the Field: Headquarters speaks to real-life Rangers working to save ANiMOZ species! In our From the Field series, we talk to scientists working across Australia to save the Rare and Highly Rare animals you know from the World of ANiMOZ. Today, we hear from Ranger Cass who works with LAGOTi! HQ: Hi Ranger …
Earth Hour 2020: ANiMOZ By Candlelight
Earth Hour 2020: Come play ANiMOZ by candlelight with us! Are you looking for something to do during an hour of darkness on this Saturday (28 March 2020)? It’s Earth Hour from 830-930pm and we’ll be playing ANiMOZ! On the official Earth Hour website, WWF-Australia say the impacts of the climate crisis …
COVID-19 Care: The ANiMOZ Guide
Sharing responsibility for COVID-19 Care This is a crazy time for the global community, and all you ANiMOZ Rangers out there are no exception when it comes to COVID-19 and caring for the community! We don’t wish to paint ourselves as experts here at Headquarters – it is super important that you seek professional …
Know your ANiMOZ species: ACANTHA (Eastern ringed xenica)
Know your ANiMOZ species: What do you know about ACANTHA? One of the most important types of creatures in an ecosystem are BASE level ANiMOZ. For Rangers playing the Official Gameplay, BASE species can get you double points in your ecosystem! ACANTHA (the Eastern ringed xenica) has a wingspan of 4cm, weighing less than …
Know your ANiMOZ species: ACANTHA (Eastern ringed xenica) Read More »
Could HARRiSii (Tasmanian devil) come back to mainland Australia? This Ranger thinks so…
Study in Tasmania suggests that HARRiSii helps to control numbers of invasive species like cats. A research Ranger in Tasmania has found that HARRiSii may have an important role to play in limiting the impact of Invasive Species like cats in their habitat. “We found in areas where [HARRiSii] have declined severely,” he said, “that …
Could HARRiSii (Tasmanian devil) come back to mainland Australia? This Ranger thinks so… Read More »
Ranger Community: “They can see their cards come to life!”
In our Ranger Community series, we hear from ANiMOZ Rangers out in the field about how they use the game to learn about, teach about and support wildlife. Ranger Adrian from Wildlife Gone Walkabout writes to Headquarters about how they use ANiMOZ! Children at their very core are scientists. They ask questions, predict answers, …
Ranger Community: “They can see their cards come to life!” Read More »
PARVU overcomes the fires!
Rangers in New South Wales have video proof that PARVU overcame the fires! There was real fear for PARVU amongst the Rangers that care for him. PARVU (or the Mountain Pygmy possum, as he’s sometimes called) lives in mountain ranges on the east coast of Australia, in a very limited geographical range. When the …